Letters: Name and address supplied, February 10, 2017

On Friday, January 27, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Lynn was forced to declare an Internal Critical Incident, as was Addenbrooke’s Hospital on January 30. A situation in which no further patients whatsoever can be admitted for specialised medical treatment; they must be taken elsewhere.

This situation is repeated around the country now and is an appalling indictment of our government’s apparent lack of concern, support and insufficient funding of a National Health Service that is still the envy of the world.

The time is here when ordinary people need to hold to account government responsible for this grim state of affairs, that means now, not when a general election is held some years hence, when we can exercise our vote to remove incompetent government. For my part, I propose sending the following questions to our elected West Norfolk MP Sir Henry Bellingham, as a start to looking into Government’s ineffective performance in protecting and promoting our NHS. I hope other residents will become involved in seeking out accountability. The questions are: Between 2001 and 2015 the population of Lynn has risen from approximately 41,000 people to 48,000 people, a rise of 17 per cent. Over the last few years various wards in the QEH have been converted into either admin offices or assessment wards. Who is responsible in Government for causing our wonderful hospital teams to be put in this disgraceful position of having to declare an Internal Critical Incident due to bed shortages?

Who is responsible for the 40 per cent cuts to social care in the community budgets, which has resulted in recovering hospital patients able to be discharged not being sent home as there is no adequate social care support, hence bed blocking?

Via the news media we hear that over 4,000 cancer related operations have been cancelled in the last year. The horrific distress caused to these innocent people needs to be accounted for a shameful time for Government. Who is responsible for this situation in our hospitals?

Please advise if this particular question covering the country overall should be directed to either Jeremy Hunt or No.10 Downing Street for a reply. The Red Cross appear correct in saying there is a humanitarian crisis in the NHS for whilst we are the fifth largest economy in the world we have approximately 150 avoidable deaths per week in our hospitals, according to Jeremy Hunt.

Do you think our previously wonderful NHS will be restored to its outstanding concept of free NHS care for all at the point of delivery in an appropriate time period for the patient’s needs, or will this insidious erosion of the NHS continue under your Government?

We hear this week from Royal College of Nursing that there is a 23 per cent drop in nursing applications due to the removal of student bursaries. With present shortfall in nursing staff nationally this decision is ridiculous. Who is responsible for this madness?